Heavy rain continued to pound Thiruvananthpuram, the venue for the third and deciding Twenty20 International between India and New Zealand, forcing both teams to stay indoors.

The Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram will host the deciding India vs New Zealand Twenty20 on Tuesday but rain threat looms for this match.(HT Photo)

The India vs New Zealand deciding Twenty20 International continues to be under a rain threat, as heavy shower continued to lash Thiruvananthapuram on the eve of thew match on Tuesday.

For the last three days, Thiruvananthapuram has been lashed by rain and this has kept the central part of the Greenfield International Stadium’s ground under the covers. India and New Zealand stayed indoors.

According to a Kerala Cricket Association official, rain has been forecast on the day of the match which could dampen the outcome. In the previous series between India and Australia, the final match in Hyderabad was abandoned due to unseasonal rains and a wet outfield, forcing both teams to share the trophy.

However, KCA officials are confident that a match will take place if the rain stops. “We are fully prepared. The Greenfield International Stadium has a very good drainage system. It rained last evening too but within 20 minutes to half an hour, the ground was ready. So we had a good rehearsal yesterday. We have plans to clear rainwater,” KCA secretary Jayesh George had told Hindustan Times on Sunday.

Another official added, “Even if it rains the entire day, the drainage here is so good that we can have the ground clear of rainwater in no time.”

India’s previous T20 series, against Australia, had also suffered due to rain. Like this series, India and Australia headed into the decider tied at 1-1 only with the Hyderabad game to be abandoned without a ball being bowled due to a wet outfield.

India had registered their first win in Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand in Delhi but the Kiwis bounced back with a magnificent 40-run victory in the Rajkot game, extending their head-to-head advantage to 6-1.